Before coming to photography, Cara Phillips spent many years in the beauty industry. First as a child model for Ford Models and then as a make-up artist, specializing in make-overs of everyday women at luxury department stores. In 2004, she began studying photography at Sarah Lawrence College. Since graduating in 2007, she has not only focused on her own making and exhibiting her own work, she has collaborated on numerous projects. She is the co-founder and curator of the online exhibition site, Women in Photography and a member of the international photography collective, Piece of Cake. Her work has been included in exhibitions at numerous New York galleries, and in shows in Boston, New York, Texas, and New Hampshire. She has received numerous awards and is in several private collections.